The Fairytale of New York
by HPandtheHeroesofFBIBloods
Summary: Christmas fun with Agents Bell and Zidan leads to some unexpected results. How will the two partners move forward into a new year and new future neither one expected?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
It was a toss away comment Maggie made not long into their partnership. Before Jason was murdered, Christmas time had been her favorite time of year and it hadn't been the same since his death. It was now over two years into their partnership, and she was easily one of OA's best friends. He had begun to watch her heal from Jason's death, opening herself back up to life, occasionally with some gentle pushing from him, Jubal, and Kristen along the way.

Thus, he thought that this was the year that they should go to the Christmas party. 26 fed took over McSoreley's where the drinks were on a government credit card and the only food was sugar cookies. Rumor has it that they even did cliched things like an ugly sweater contest. Jubal had also promised to bring Dana with him as his date. OA had invited Mona to be his date, but she declined because it was breaking a rule. There was nothing casual or "no strings" about going somewhere where you'd be required to see friends and/or family. Honestly, that was fine with OA because it allowed him to focus on Maggie and getting her to actually go to the party.

The night of the party, he changed into a too tight, too small ugly sweater he begged Kristen to procure for him and walked into the bullpen to find Maggie slumped over her desk attempting to finish paperwork. He walked over to the slumped form and asked, "You planning on staying here the whole night?"  
"Paperwork doesn't do itself," she replied with a roll of her eyes.  
"And the Christmas party is only once a year," OA added. "And it happens to be tonight." Maggie spun around in her chair and flashed him a look that caused most perps to spill their guts. OA nearly laughed at the expression, but choked it down. "C'mon Mags. Let's just go down to the pub with the rest of the JOC. We could use it."

"You don't even celebrate Christmas," Maggie pointed out.  
"True, but you do. And I had Kristen get an extra ugly sweater," OA pulled a truly horrible sweater out of his bag and tossed it to Maggie. She examined the sparkly Rudolph design with a smirk. "Does it mean that much to you?"  
"Yes," OA said seriously enough that Maggie seemed to do a double take. He saw the moment that she lost the battle with him by the slight relaxation of her shoulders and her sigh. "You're driving," She grumbled as she pulled the sweater over her head.  
"I was thinking we'd Uber or walk." OA added. Maggie raised a brow at that, but rose from her seat and followed him to the elevator. Little did either know that those were the first steps toward an unexpected future.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The party was in full swing by the time OA and Maggie walked over to McSoreley's. The two made their way to the main bar where they found their closest friends sharing a few pints. True to his word, Jubal had brought Dana, which immediately put everyone in a more festive mood. Perhaps it was OA's imagination, but Dana seemed to be studying him and Maggie extra closely tonight.

"Woo! Shot time!" Kristen called out as they pulled up stools.

"Started early Kris?" Maggie laughed.

"Yes, apparently she's a light weight," Stuart groused. Everyone laughed, though Stuart did order a round of shots for everyone but Jubal. "To a year of successful cases," he said.

"To a year of new opportunities," Dana added, her eyes locked with Jubal's. The look caused a sharp pang in OA's heart. "To friendships," he added, trying to alleviate the feelings welling inside of him. Maggie gave him a brief smile before beginning to toast everyone. Soon, all the shots were drained. OA sputtered at the taste. "What even is this?"

"It's a Santa's Elf," Stuart said, "mainly fireball I think. I didn't really ask for the rest. Sounded disgusting, yet festive."

"It tastes like college," Kristen added wistfully, causing Maggie to pull a face.

"That's not a good thing," The sour look on her face caused everyone to laugh and OA's heart to pound.

The group chatted for a while until Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" came on the jukebox. Kristen squealed and grabbed Ian's hand, pulling him out to the dance floor. Maggie chuckled, but to OA's confused dismay, she stayed put on the stool. Instead of asking her to dance, he ordered another round, this time of the good stuff, from an old bottle of Red Breast. "Much better," Maggie sighed, sipping the whiskey, eyes on their friends. All around them couples swayed and bopped semi-in time to the 2000s hit.

"This song is hard to properly dance to." She commented with a laugh.

"Hmm, those two seem to be making it work," OA added, gesturing to Dana and Jubal with his whiskey. The ASAC and former SAC were locked in a tight embraced swaying out of time to the beat without a care in the world. "Yeah," Maggie sighed, "they look so happy. To be so lucky to find someone like that after all your crap and your mistakes and life you've had to live." She sounded wistful and OA wondered if she was thinking of Jason or of her life now and her chance to grasp at a second chance at love.

"How many mistakes has the great Maggie Bell really made?" He teased.

"Oh, you do not get to know anything about my rookie years in Indiana then," Maggie laughed with him.

"How about some more shots on me in exchange for Officer Bell stories?"

"How about you buy this round, I buy the next, and we leave it at that?" OA chuckled and nodded, ordering two more shots, a festive peppermint vodka this time. He handed one to Maggie and went to down his when a gentle hand stilled him. "Wait," Maggie said, "we should toast."

"To what?"

"How about to the best partner I've ever had?"

"Okay, and to new beginnings for the both of us," She smiled sheepishly and nodded. They clinked glasses and downed the shots before Maggie turned to order another round.

That was the beginning of the end. The dancing coworkers soon turned into coworkers singing off key karaoke and another shot soon turned into several. OA hadn't really been into alcohol prior to West Point, but though he stuck to most of the tenants of Islam, the lack of alcohol had fallen by the wayside in some spectacular drunken nights hiding from the terror of an unknown future. Being stateside, he had had alcohol sparingly, much to his current detriment. Maggie too, he knew, had avoided swallowing her pain at the bottom of a glass. The evening was, therefore, still young by the time the two of them found themselves completely and utterly drunk. Though normally consummate professionals, even when it came to their personal lives, tonight was a night to cut loose. Aside from the alcohol, the good friends and festive atmosphere was freeing. It allowed them to be human; it allowed them the most human of all freedoms; making mistakes.

They were still sat at the bar, stools touching, and Maggie finally telling some story of her time in Indiana when OA looked at her. Really looked at her. Her long chocolate hair had long since fallen out of her usual ponytail and had settled in messy waves to her shoulders. Her equally dark, expressive, chocolate eyes were a bit unfocused and maybe a little bit wet from mirth. They were so deep that he understood what it meant when the poets talked of drowning in someone's gaze. And beyond her beautiful appearance, she was Maggie. His best friend who he had seen at her best and worst moments; that he respected warts and all and who, he hoped, felt the same about him.

"What?" she asked, catching him staring. OA's face grew hot as his mind frantically searched for an answer. Luckily, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas had just begun its opening strains. "Uh, you wanna dance?" OA asked shyly, "Partner?" Perhaps it was the odd lighting of the bar, but he swore that Maggie blushed. He slipped from his stool and held his sweaty palm out, daring her to take it.

"I have two left feet," she responded, but took his hand anyway. Gently, he placed his hands on her waist as she looped her arms around his neck. They fit perfectly. The fact hit him like a ton of bricks. Mona was only slightly shorter than Maggie, but with her the height difference was uncomfortable; with Maggie it was perfect. She was strong, he could feel that in the tautness of her muscles, yet delicate, graceful. He spun her around the room, each flourish causing her to laugh. Not a petite giggle, but a true Maggie laugh that lit OA up inside. As the song began to come to a close, he felt himself pull her closer and closer until he felt every curve of her body. Instead of shying away from his touch, Maggie put her head on his broad shoulder until they where swaying cheek to cheek. Soon, they were no longer swaying, but instead holding one another in a tight embrace. The last bars of the song sounded before they finally pulled away, some. OA held Maggie slightly closer than arm's length; enough to look in her eyes. What he found there was unbridled want, similar to that which he felt at that moment. They were just barely sober enough to be cognizant of their coworkers surrounding them. Before OA could say anything, Maggie leaned in close. "Do you want to get out of here?" her voice brushed his ear. For a second he thought he was imagining things, but he felt her grab one of his larger hands in her's and pull him towards the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Uber ride to OA's apartment was tense. Every brush, every gentle touch caused both OA and Maggie to jump from anticipation. For the first time, OA understood why people discussed attraction in terms of fire. It felt like sparks were flying between the two of them with every uncomfortable shift of the car. After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled up to OA's apartment.

The elevator ride up to OA's was fraught with anticipation so thick, it hung in the air like smoke. Both Maggie and OA tried hard not to touch one another, but once they exited the lift and entered the apartment, all bets were off. OA's lips immediately found Maggie's plumper ones, his arms wrapping around her slight form. Nothing had ever tasted as good as her lips on his and all he wanted was more. He didn't want more than she was willing to give, but soon her tongue was nudging his lips apart so that they became entangled in a time honored dance.

For a minute he thought he was dreaming as clothes fell to the floor and they clumsily waltzed their way into his bedroom. Neither was so drunk that they would forget this night in the gray light of reality, but they were drunk enough to forget all the reasons that this was a bad idea.

OA scooped Maggie up when they got to the threshold of his room and gently placed her on the bed. Her hair spilled out on his white sheets, catching the moonlight, adding to the dreamlike quality the evening had taken on. They paused for a moment, lips hovering inches from one another before Maggie rose up and captured his again, pulling them down.

When their phones rang after what seemed like only minutes of a heady post-sex sleep, both felt like they were still drunk on the alcohol and on their night together. Jubal's commanding tones sobered them up faster than a cold shower as he laid out their next mission for them, one that hit too close to home. Ian and his amazing mind had been kidnapped on his way home from the party last night, his home ransacked in search of…something. OA heard Maggie take a shaky breath beside him and wanted to reach out, to comfort her, but reality had begun to seep back in. She was his partner. Ian was a friend and an integral part of the FBI with insanely high security clearance; he was going to need Agents Bell and Agents Zidan, the dynamic duo with the highest rate of closed cases in the New York field office. There was no room for Omar and Maggie the lovers.

After the conference call with Jubal ended, Maggie immediately sprang to action pulling on clothes, minus the now crumpled ugly sweater, tidying up her hair and make-up as if nothing had happened between the two of them. Wordlessly, OA followed suit. "I have an extra set of clothes in my desk. I'll grab them and change while you start getting briefed," Maggie's crisp business-like tone cut through the silence. OA nodded, though in her hurry she probably didn't see, and bit down the hurt that she was talking so calmly about erasing further evidence that they had slept together. Logically, he knew now was not the time for her to do the walk of shame back to 26 fed, but it stung nonetheless.

A light hand grasped his shoulder, surprising him. He spun around to look into the wet, warm eyes of the woman he had fallen completely in love with. Love shown there but was mixed with fear for their friend and colleague. The hurt seeped out of him slowly. "We'll find him," he said with a conviction he didn't feel, "we're a good team." Understanding passed in Maggie's eyes and relief that OA was on the same page as her. Duty to the job, to the people they served had to come before personal wants. Out of all the people in this great city they had the freedom to love anyone they wished, except the person staring back at them know. The person who knew every inch of their soul and loved them the more for it. Maggie tilted her head up and gave OA a gentle peck as if saying goodbye to the idea of them before exiting the bedroom.

OA stood rooted to the spot for a minute longer, the images of the night they shared and the future they couldn't have flickering before him. He paused in the doorway and looked at the mussed bed, holding on to the first and last time Maggie was in that bed before turning off the light and walking into the cold gray world beyond. Setting aside pleasure for duty; or so he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The team found Ian in record time and in good health. The momentum from the case propelled the team through to mid-December before OA even realized it. Which was good, because any time he had to catch his breath allowed him to think of him and Maggie. Of how much he wanted to repeat that night they shared over and over until death did they part. He wanted a relationship with his partner that was definitely beyond bureau guidelines. But at the same time, they were the perfect team on the job and it was comforting to have her and only her guarding his six. And like hell did he trust anyone else to guard her twelve. Thoughts like that always gave him pause, he was already compromised, already more concerned for her than was strictly allowed for a partner. Being official wasn't really going to change it; loving someone wasn't a switch that could be flicked off.

Aside from work, Mona provided a good distraction. He knew that they weren't in love, that it was all sex, no emotions or commitment, but fooling around gave him some semblance of the companionship he craved with Maggie. She too was dating around and their awkward love lives were a great way to distract themselves from talking about their one night whenever they were in the car. OA was even beginning to think that this pattern was a sustainable way to live out the rest of his life. Life itself did not agree.

"Do you get time off at Christmas?" Mona asked him from the other side of the table. They were at a café near both their works.

"Not really. Without there being a good equivalent holiday for us I usually save vacation time for Eid or Ramadan and let my Christian and Jewish coworkers take the time."

"Not even between Christmas and New Year's?"

"I mean maybe a day here or there to spend time with my sisters on their breaks. And New Year's Eve I try to get off just to escape the craziness of Manhattan." He took a thoughtful sip of coffee, "Why?"

"I was planning on going to Singapore for New Year's Eve. They do it up even better there than in New York. Our family's company hosts a big party at one of our headquarters and this year it's going to be there. And I wanted you there," she reached across the table and linked their fingers together, "as my boyfriend." OA was shocked, but tried to hide it behind a thin smile. Mona was brilliant, beautiful, and kind. By saying yes without really loving her, he'd be a jerk, but maybe he could learn to love her? He'd always love Maggie, but perhaps he needn't always be in love with her? Maybe he could fall in love with Mona and have the 2.5 kids and the white picket fence dream he always secretly had. He tried to put on one of his most charming smirks, "That doesn't seem like no strings to me."

"Well, maybe I want strings with you," she leaned across the table and captured his lips in a good, but not great, kiss. Luckily, OA was saved by the cell. He broke off with an apologetic smile. "Agent Zidan," he answered.

"OA! You need to get back here right now!" Maggie's voice sounded panicked; her breathing rushed as if she was running.

"Woa, Mags. You ok?"

"No," Maggie's voice cracked, "OA, Dana's daughter, Eleanor, is missing. She had a half day today and was supposed to do homework in Dana's office, but wasn't at school when Jubal went to grab her on his meal. Dana just got a cryptic note; looks like a kidnapping." OA sucked in a breath. He hated kidnappings partly because he loved kids and partly because they were the hardest on Maggie. This would be particularly awful. They both had grown close to Dana and though he had never met her daughter, the blow was as bad if, God forbid, a member of his own family was kidnapped. "Alright, I'm on my way." He ended the call and jumped from his chair, throwing bills on the table.

"Everything okay?" Mona asked.

"No," OA sighed, "and unfortunately all I can say is that it is a huge case and I need to leave right now."

"Go," Mona smiled, "be superman. Just come back to me, okay?" She pulled him down by his tie and kissed him once more.

The JOC was hopping by the time OA arrived. He immediately sought out Maggie and moved to stand next to her. She looked tired and pale as she had for the past few mornings. He hoped she wasn't getting sick now before one of the most important cases of their careers. She turned to him and gave him a grim nod. "Nothing yet. Dana is locked in her office. She can't take part, but Jubal isn't Eleanor's dad or anything, so he's acting SAC. He's about to put the note on the screen." Sure enough, Jubal bounded up the main aisle of the JOC.

"Ok people. This one is close to home for all of us. Eleanor Madeline Mosier was last seen on the front steps of St. Anne's Prep at 12:05. When your's truly went to pick her up at 12:15, she was nowhere to be found. Security tapes aren't giving us anything, so the only proof that she didn't just vanish is this note. Kris?"

"Here's the note that was taped to the hood of Jubal's car sometime while Jubal was looking around the campus for Eleanor." Kristen punched something into her iPad and a picture of a crumpled blue note with cut out lettering leapt to the big screen.

"You had your chance. I'm taking our daughter back for whatever time I have left. Don't worry, I'd never hurt my precious Maddie." Maggie read aloud, voice tinged with confusion. "Maddie, as in Eleanor's middle name?"

"That's the working theory, though there are 15 different Maddie's in grades 9-12 at the school. There's a chance that the person has the wrong girl." Kristen chimed in, "After all, Dana is a widow and hospital records show that the late Eli Mosier is Eleanor's dad. Why would a dead man want his daughter?"

"He wouldn't," Jubal agreed, "considering Eli was shot while executing a SWAT raid. This isn't a comic book; he isn't secretly back from the dead 12 years later."

"Any CCTV footage in the area near Jubal's car? The kidnapper obviously was stalking Jubal's car, maybe one of them caught him leave the note?" OA added.

"If it is a him." Maggie shook her head, "if the kidnapper grabbed the wrong kid then it could be a mother kidnapping their daughter."

"It's not," a hollow voice whispered behind OA. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the specter of Dana Mosier. "Maggie, OA, I may not be officially in charge, but you're taking point on this. So, let's go head to the box." The partners exchanged a confused glance. "You're going to be interviewing me as if this was a regular case."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**AN: I don't own this. I wouldn't be broke. Also, Dana is 50 in this because Sela Ward looks too young to be in her 60s, whatever the truth may be **

The atmosphere in the box was awkward. Maggie and OA had had some weird cases in their time and had talked to a myriad of interesting people, but it was weird to sit across from Dana Mosier. Even in her distress, her penetrating gaze still seemed to see through the pair giving them the disorienting feeling that she was about to interview them instead of the other way around. Luckily, Maggie, the more tactful interviewer by far, broke the silence. "You don't think that this is a case of mistaken identity. And you have a fairly good idea who took Eleanor." She ventured. Dana dropped her gaze to her hands and sighed, "It IS a case of mistaken identity, but not in the way that you think. And yes, I do have an idea who took Eleanor."

"Care to elaborate? Why would someone you know take Eleanor, but mean to take another girl?" OA left a third question unasked, but Dana shook her head and gave a low chuckle. "Why if I suspected someone of might abduct my child would I never say anything? C'mon OA, you need to ask the questions, boss or not, personal feelings set aside."

"Yes, M'am. Then be straight with us. What do YOU think happened to Eleanor?" Dana teared up at that, her gaze was very far off. It spoke of profound heartbreak and caused Maggie to reach across the table and squeeze Dana's arm in a gesture of support. "Dana, whatever it is, we are your friends. We won't judge you."

"I had another child." Dana blurted out as if the words had been trying to escape for a while.

"Named Madeline?" Maggie guessed.

Dana nodded, "Yes, I gave Eleanor her name as a middle name to connect my two girls. I had only just explained the significance to Eleanor in the past few years, adding to the story as she got older, more mature." Dana took in a shaky breath. OA swallowed past a lump in his throat at the sight of one of the strongest women he knew looking about ready to fall to pieces. He reached out and squeezed her other arm in support to continue on.

"I was fifteen and stupid when I had Maddie. My parents, well they weren't great. Dad was an alcoholic and my mom became overbearing as a result. Emotionally abusive, locking me in the house and going over any and all perceived flaws. I couldn't bear to live that way." She hiccupped a sob, "And then he came along, David Myers. He was a boy at the local college, four years older than me; too old for me really. But, he used to deliver our groceries since we never left our house and we became friends. He used to bust me out of my prison like some type of damsel in a fairytale. So, when he said he loved me and that we should be together, I leapt at the chance. I believed we'd leave our small town, move to a big city like this and live happily ever after." Another sob had OA reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handkerchief.

"And then Maddie happened," he supplied gently.

"Yes," Dana nodded, "I got pregnant. I was scared, but excited. I thought that we'd finally run away together, which is what he promised when I told him. But, he never came for me and instead, word came that he had left town. By this point, I was in the throws of my first trimester and too sick to hide my condition from my parents. They….they kicked me out of the house. Told me to never come back. And I was shunned by the town. I was the pregnant teen of two of the most gossiped about people in what felt like the world's smallest town. No one wanted to help me. So, I was pregnant and homeless, using the little change I had to take greyhounds to other towns looking for work, living wherever I could find. It wasn't until I made my way to Chicago that I found a homeless shelter. I was a minor, so they connected me with CPS and put me in a group home. And it was there that I decided I wanted more for my child than that life. Group homes and foster care are such a nomadic way of life and I had only a few years before I'd be bounced out of the system. If I couldn't provide for her, there was a chance she'd end up in foster care herself, separated from me." Dana was now openly sobbing at this point. Beside OA, Maggie was also trembling with suppressed emotion.

"You wanted to raise her, but loved her enough to give her her best chance. That was the bravest and most selfless thing you could do for her. You took control of the situation and put her up for adoption." Tears laced Maggie's words, the emotion behind them confusing OA. There was more to it than Maggie's amazing ability to empathize.

"Yes," Dana nodded, "the group home helped my find a local agency. There was a nice, much older couple that had already adopted a son and wanted a daughter. I met the son once, briefly, and he was a happy, well-loved, toddler. The family insisted on a closed adoption, so after giving birth, I never heard from them again. I," she paused, "I only held my daughter once and I named her Madeline then, after my deceased grandmother, but they probably changed her name. All I know is that they were planning on moving out of Illinois." The room was silent after the story, save for the silent tears running down both women's cheeks. Very few times in his career had OA felt at such a loss, but the story hurt his heart and gave him a newfound admiration for his boss. It also made him worry for his partner; something was well and truly off about her.

He tried to reclaim the situation, the timer in his head ticking; Eleanor needed them, and Dana could not lose both of her daughters. "Why would David know you named the baby Maddie?"

"I don't know," Dana admitted, "I liked the name, he knew that, but I haven't seen him in 35 years."

"Maddie is 35?" OA asked, "Why would he think that Eleanor is Maddie when there is a 21 year age gap?"

"He said he wanted his daughter for 'however long he had left'. He's obviously sick and probably dying. He also blamed Dana for keeping Maddie from him, when she gave him the chance to be part of their daughter's life. Who knows what he's sick with, but he's obviously not thinking straight." Maddie speculated. She shot OA a look that made his heart sink. Though neither would say it in front of Dana, if David's mental faculties were slipping, who knows what he would do when he finally realized he had the wrong Mosier girl. "Dana, how about we go get Jubal in here. We'll have Kris trace David Myers's life from age 19 on." Maggie bit her lip, "We can uh, do it discreetly-"

"Thank you, Maggie," Dana held up a hand to cut her off, "but I am not ashamed of my past. And I'm not going to let either daughter suffer by not giving the team all the information. Need I remind you that Maddie is out there somewhere in the world and could also be in danger. I trust you two to keep both my girls safe. Don't bother Jubal now, he needs to focus on the case, just… please let me have the room to myself for a second." The two agents nodded and got up to leave the room and crying boss behind them.

Maggie began to practically sprint to the JOC, but before she got very far, OA pulled her into an empty side hallway. "What?" Maggie snapped, her brown eyes refusing to meet his.

"What's wrong Mags?"

"Nothing, except Eleanor is in danger and probably some other poor woman as well. We don't have time for this," She tried to pull away, but OA gently held her in place.

"We said we'd be honest with each other, trust each other. You look like crap today," that elicited an eye roll, "and Dana's interview affected you more than it should've, what's going on?"

"You're such a gentleman. I feel like crap, but I'm probably just getting whatever is going around the building. I'm fine to do the job." She sighed, "As for the interview, I have been feeling a bit more emotional lately, probably the holidays, but beyond that, the story hit too close to home." She bit her lip and didn't continue.

"Uh, Mags, not judging, but is this were you say that you too have a secret kid somewhere?"

"No, but my older brother and I were both adopted. I never thought much about my birth mother, but I always thought she must've done the best she could by giving me up. Seeing Dana, I just thought of my mother. Wondered what her story was and if she was in as much pain as Dana all these years later." Maggie's eyes were glassy for a moment, before a layer of pure steel slid over them, "Never mind me. Look, I'll go to the doctor after the case and get something for this cold or flu if it makes you happy. And if I need to, I know you'll be there to talk about this birth mom stuff, but right now we have a job to do."

OA let her slip out of his grasp, but didn't follow right away, his mind reeling. Though Maggie hadn't given him much, the bits about her adoption and what he knew of her life left him unsettled. There were far too many similarities with Dana's story for his liking. After a beat, he followed his partner's path to the JOC trying to tamp down the worry that this case was going to be more than any of them had bargained for.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

David Myers's face dominated the main screen of the JOC. The picture was a few years old from an expired Georgia driver's license. He was a short, slight man with dark auburn hair and unsettling grey eyes that spoke of cruelty, but not of madness. Yet his eyes weren't what caused OA's blood to ice over, it was his high cheekbones and the curve of his nose that scared him. They were eerily familiar.

"David Myer, age 54, last seen three months ago at a random gas station near Charlotte. No vehicle registered under that name, no current residence. Lived in Georgia for 20 years working as a software engineer for Savtech in Savannah until he was fired 8 months ago." Kristen rattled off, shaking OA from his thoughts.

"Any sign of Eleanor?" Maggie asked.

"No and the footage from the cameras near her school didn't catch her leaving."

"What about Maddie?" Jubal asked, scratching the back of his neck. He had been watching the interview from the box and though he knew Dana was right in having them look into Maddie, it was awkward to have his boss, and girlfriend's, past splashed on the wall of the JOC.

"Better news on that front. There was only 1 baby girl born in Cook County General on the date of birth Dana gave us that was also born at 7:05am. There is some red tape to unlock the hospital records, but I already have a call into the Chicago Department of Vital Statistics to unseal the adoption records once we get the actual name on Madeline's birth certificate. Hopefully we can track her down from there."

"I'll see if I can grease the wheels," Jubal added, "in the meantime, OA and Maggie go interview some of the school officials at St. Anne's see if anyone saw anything. I'll get a list of Eleanor's friends to see if they know if she was talking to someone online or somehow knew to expect Myers."

"On it," Maggie said, "I'm driving." She tossed back over her shoulder at OA who couldn't help, but laugh. He felt lighter for the first time since coming in to work.

Maggie seemed to be in a slightly better mood than she had been in the box. She even turned on the radio, which OA noticed she only did at this time of year. To his surprise she was even humming under her breath, though it was an uneasy hum as she was worrying her lower lip. "Favorite of your's?" OA asked to try and cut through the tension of their last encounter. He saw her pause for a moment, before she ducked her head in embarrassment. "Not really. But, it's a classic. I like the old school carols. Newer ones are all about love and finding someone to kiss under the mistletoe like a cliched Hallmark movie." She bit her lip again, "But the classics, a lot of them are about hope and peace on Earth. Maybe that's naïve or cheesy too, but this time of year always means hope to me. Guess I could use some today."

The two of them sat in comfortable silence, thinking on her words until the ivy covered walls of St. Anne's came into view. They made to exit the car, but OA stopped. Maggie looked at him in silent question. "What is your favorite Christmas song?"

"Toss up," she smiled a bright, Maggie smile, "Fairytale of New York, the clean version, or I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

"Okay, I've heard the last one, but I guess I'll have to look up the first after we're done drowning in teenaged angst."

"Not a fan of high schools?"

"No, you?" Maggie just chuckled in response. The two were met at the top of the front steps by the headmistress.

"Mrs. Hayden?" Maggie flashed her badge, "Agents Bell and Zidan."

"Yes, Mrs. Mosier called and said to expect you. I told her we'd do all that we could to help."

"Thank you. The video footage that was sent to us didn't reveal much. Are there any faculty members or students here that were outside around that time? Or were in classrooms with windows looking out at the street?"

"No, sorry Agent Bell. I already asked, though feel free to try. We can give you access to any and all facilities if you think that would help. Student safety is of the utmost importance here."

"Let's start in the classroom three windows over and two up from the left when facing the street. That would have the best view of where Eleanor was supposed to meet Jubal." OA twisted his ring, the gears turning in his mind.

"Room 211, follow me."

The high school wasn't bustling given that it was a half day, thus only a few students participating in after school organizations were around. No one was in room 211. The room was a typical classroom with ancient wooden desks and frosted paned windows on two of its walls giving a nice view of the street corner outside. The view was nearly unobstructed beyond the frost this time of year without any leaves to block it. OA moved to the window and began wiping his hand across it to clear the glass, studying the street below trying to see if there was a new angle to consider, some stone unturned or a CCTV camera that they might've missed that would've had some view of the kidnapping.

"OA," Maggie's voice cut across to him from the front of the room. She was not looking out of the windows, but at a cart near the teacher's desk. At first, he didn't understand the relevance until he realized the contents of the cart. He turned to Mrs. Hayden. "Those laptops?"

"Yes, every homeroom has them. We get a decent amount of scholarship students who wouldn't otherwise have access to laptops. It's break, though. We make the girls leave them here if they don't have any online homework over the holidays. They can sign them out with specific permission, but the laptops are expensive; can't risk them getting lost on a train or plane."

"Did Eleanor Mosier sign out a laptop?" Maggie asked.

"I don't know. She's in Mr. Roth's homeroom across the hall." The two agents followed the headmistress into a nearly identical classroom. Mrs. Hayden unlocked the cabinet with a universal key. There were 24 cubbies and each was filled with a laptop. On the inside of the door was a list of the girls' names and the corresponding laptop number. Maggie thumbed her way down the list finding E. Mosier, laptop 9, and pulled out the computer. She sat at the nearest student desk and opened the laptop. "Does the school issue passwords or can the girls choose their own?"

"Username is first initial last name and the password is their student number. Our librarian handles the passwords, but I think she's still in for the day. I can call down," Mrs. Hayden moved to an old fashioned phone on the wall.

"What's going on in that head of your's?" OA asked Maggie. Eleanor's personal laptop was, presumably, still with her, which would have been far more useful than one that could easily be unlocked by school administrators.

"Dana is the SAC of the New York field office of the freaking FBI. If I was a teenaged girl, I think I'd rather take a chance with keeping my secrets on a school server than on the wifi shared with my mom." Maggie shrugged. She typed in EMosier and waited to be given the student number.

Once unlocked, the laptop showed a photo of Eleanor and Dana on a vacation somewhere tropical. Maggie opened the internet and swept through Eleanor's recent searches. "OA, look at this."

"Eleanor was looking into , the Chicago Department of Vital Statistics, and 23andMe." He turned to look at Maggie, "She was looking for Maddie."

"What if this was how Myers was able to find Eleanor? He was a software engineer, what if he thought that it was Maddie looking into her past, set some kind of fishing software to let him know if anyone was searching certain key words, dates, or phrases."

OA's eyes went wide at the possible break in the case. "We need to get this to Ian right now." Just then, his phone rang. "It's Jubal."

"Take it, let him know we're on our way back. I'll talk to the headmistress about taking this."

OA pulled out his phone, "Jubal? Hey, we might have gotten a break on how Myers got connected to Eleanor."

"Great," though Jubal's tone sounded hollow. He sighed deeply, "We, uh, we found something on Maddie."

"Okay, what? Is there a lead we need to follow? Because we have some evidence that we should drop off at 26 fed."

Jubal was silent for a second. "No, you need to get back here right now. Get Maggie back here as fast as you can." OA's heart plummeted. Jubal's odd tone and the urgency that he placed on Maggie getting back to the JOC confirmed his suspicions.

"She's Maddie."

"Hmm. Thanks for sharing your obvious suspicions with the class," his superior chided, "but yes. That's the working theory. But, I think it's best we get confirmation on said theory. Get Maggie back here, we'll tell her and Dana together. I have medical standing by to run a DNA test."

"We don't have time for that."

"This is a two-pronged case, OA. Eleanor is in danger, but the mysterious Madeline is probably in danger as well. We need to be sure that we're right about Maddie's identity so that we aren't leaving an innocent woman in the wind."

"And if we're right?"

Jubal sighed. "Just get Maggie back here. Say nothing." He hung up, leaving OA to stare into the curious eyes of his partner.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

OA could feel Maggie's eyes on him as they hurried out of the school and jumped into their SUV, but tried to play it cool. All he had told her was that Jubal also had a break in the case and would brief them back at the JOC. He could tell Maggie didn't believe he was giving her the full story, but he let her drive to focus her attention elsewhere. Snow had begun to fall sometime when they were in the school and was now picking up in intensity. Big, fat flakes fell turning the world a glistening white. Normally, a good snowfall comforted OA. When he was first adjusting to civilian life after his tours, snow grounded him. The bracing cold of a New York winter had shocked his senses whenever he felt himself slipping back to his time in the desert, the flakes like comforting hands on his cheeks. Today, though, he felt uneasy at the sight of the growing piles outside; a winter storm could complicate any case, but was especially dangerous in one as time sensitive as a kidnapping.

Maggie must have been thinking the same thing or else was still suspicious as she said nothing to him from the garage to the entrance of the JOC. Jubal stood in front of the doors, pacing, with his pencil flapping distractedly. "Hey," Maggie called out, "we've got Eleanor's school laptop. Her top searches made it look like she was looking for Maddie."

Jubal nodded absently, "Right, great. Yeah, I'll get that to Ian right away," He gestured with his pencil, "I need you two to follow me. We errr also have a lead on Maddie." Maggie nodded and moved to enter the JOC, but Jubal blocked her path. She shot OA a confused glance and followed their superior towards the conference room they interviewed family members in on occasion. All the blinds on the windows facing the hallway had been drawn, but were rippling as a dark shadow paced in front of them alerting OA to Dana's presence inside.

Jubal opened the door causing Dana to freeze. Her dark eyes alighted hopefully on Maggie and OA. "Jubal says we have a few new leads?" Her voice was hoarse still from crying.

"OA and I found Eleanor's school laptop," Maggie answered. Worry for the upcoming conversation had stilled OA's tongue. Maggie moved closer to the SAC and placed a comforting hand on the older woman's arm. "Dana, it looks like she was researching ways to possibly find Maddie."

Dana shook her head, "You think that Myers tracked her that way? This is all my fault!" She plowed on without waiting for an answer, "I shouldn't have stopped looking for Maddie all those years ago! I tried for a bit when she was 18, but found nothing. And now I've failed them both!"

"Hey, Dana look at me," Maggie urged. "Yes, we think Myers may have used his knowledge of software to somehow track Eleanor through her searches about Maddie. That is NOT your fault. So far, it seems like her searches were superficial and to well-trafficked sites. She was smart about it. There is nothing wrong with her being curious. And you did look for Maddie."

"About that," Jubal rocked back on his heels, "we think we, uh. Well, um."

"Spit it out!" Dana snapped in fear.

"We might have an idea as to her location." Jubal fiddled with the pencil stashed behind his ear.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked, feeling Dana freeze up, "You could've said that over the phone or in the JOC."

"Er, well. It's nothing bad really, but of a sensitive nature. Thought it was better to- "

"It's Maggie." OA cut off bluntly. "Our current hypothesis is that Maggie is the baby girl you named Madeline and gave up for adoption 35 years ago."

Twin pairs of glassy brown eyes stared back at him. It was haunting. These were two women he respected and cared for; who were consummate survivors and had taken everything that life had thrown at them and channeled it into being two of the best agents, the best people, he knew. They now looked at him with stark vulnerability shining in their eyes. He was so used to looking to them for guidance that it was unsettling to see them both looking so lost and confused.

"Maggie's birth certificate has her born at 7:05am on October 3rd, 1984 at Cook County General. The exact time, date, and place that you had Maddie, Dana." Jubal tried to fill the silence with facts. "You said you gave Maddie to Joe and Mary Ryan, which, though common Irish Catholic names, are in fact the names of Maggie's parents. They also have an adopted son, Matthew, that is two years older than Maggie; you told me that the son you met at your home visit with the Ryans was named Matt. It all fits." During Jubal's explanation, Maggie had turned towards Dana and was staring at her with a hungry longing, whereas Dana was staring at the floor.

"Sounds like a pretty solid theory," Maggie croaked out, "where do we go from here?"

"Jubal has medical on standby to do a DNA test. We need to rule out any other possible Maddies, as unlikely as that may be." OA answered for her. Maggie nodded and turned back to Dana who was memorizing the pattern of the carpet. She moved to stand in front of her superior and grabbed both of Dana's hands in her's, biting her lip. When she spoke, she directed her attention to their clasped hands.  
"Dana," she began weakly, "I can't say that I'm particularly surprised. After you told us your story in the box," A tear slipped out. "well, I began to hope."

At that powerful word, Dana's head whipped up, her gaze locking on Maggie's in wonder. "Hope?"

Maggie nodded, sucking in a breath, "Yes, I always wanted to meet my birth mother, but I had, have, amazing parents. I thought it would hurt them. It was different for Matt, he was orphaned, but I knew whoever she was, my mother was out there. I just was afraid of hurting my mom in trying to find where I came from. And then-"tears streamed down both of Maggie's cheeks. Instinctively, Dana moved to brush them away. She paused a hair's breadth away from Maggie's cheek though, afraid she didn't have the right to mother the woman in front of her. Maggie closed the gap by leaning into the motherly touch. Dana wiped her child's tears with the expertise of a practiced mom, eliciting a wobbly smile from the younger woman. When she moved to draw her hand away, Maggie caught it with one of her's to hold it in place.

"My parents are in their mid-70's. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's not too long before I lost Jason. Dad didn't take it well, shut Matt and I out when we tried to help. I, well I'm not proud of it, but I found a silver lining in her disease. I started to look for where I came from, not to replace her, but to fulfill a desire that I've had all along. I had only just begun looking when Jason died." Maggie's tears began anew, and this time Dana enveloped her in strong, motherly arms.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry you went through all of that. I'm sorry I wasn't there." Dana sobbed into Maggie's neck, repeating the words over and over again.

"Don't apologize. I never blamed you for giving me up. You gave me the best parents, the best childhood, I could've asked for. You were my hero growing up because mom always said you were so brave and selfless. When I heard you story, I hoped that the strong, intelligent woman who has become my mentor and idol was secretly my childhood hero." Maggie broke away to look into Dana's eyes. "I know we need to confirm it, but I'm so glad it's you."

"Oh Maggie," Dana pulled her close once more. "I'm so glad it's _you_. I couldn't have asked for a better daughter. I only wish…."

"We'll find her, Dana. I promise." Maggie sounded more determined that OA had ever heard before. He exchanged a glance with Jubal who looked equally nervous about that tone; it rarely boded well.

"Right, well. The lab here thinks a blood sample from each of you might be faster than a standard cheek swab." Jubal cut in awkwardly.

"Okay, we'll head to medical now." Maggie wiped her face and steeled her expression into a professional mask. Beside her, Dana did the same. As they were leaving, OA caught Maggie's arm. "See if they can figure out if you're sick while they're at it. I doubt they have a rapid flu test, but maybe they can see if you're fighting an infection from a more complete blood panel." He pleaded in an undertone, "I really don't need you getting me sick." Maggie stuck out her tongue at him and laughed causing him to smile as he watched her head out the door. He was glad he succeeded in getting her to smile; he would've done anything for a Maggie smile.

As soon as the two women exited the room, Kristen came running in. "Jubal, you've got to see this." She handed him her tablet. OA looked over their shoulders and saw a grainy picture taken at an Amtrak station in New Haven. The man's face was obscured, but staring straight at the camera was Eleanor Mosier.


	8. Chapter 8

"Alright, Eleanor Mosier was just seen on CCTV at the New Haven Amtrak station less than 10 minutes ago with who we think is our suspect. Local law enforcement is trying to track them down. In the meantime, any idea where they may be heading?"

"Yes, it looks like they were heading to the platform where a train was about to depart to…huh, that's weird. It looks like it's doubling back towards Newark?" Kristen replied.

"He's either spiraling or he's purposefully running in circles to shake us off the trail." OA responded.

"OA, you head to Newark with a team. I'm sending another to New Haven and alerting local law enforcement at both locations," Jubal ordered.

"And me?" Maggie strolled up the center of the JOC, the gauze over the draw site still fresh with blood. "Heading to Newark with OA, right?" Jubal looked uncomfortable at the challenge in her voice. He tapped his pencil to his lips in thought.

"Fine, I won't pull you until we get confirmation," he said under his breath, "but OA takes the lead on this. You're on a tight leash." Maggie looked pissed at that, but nodded grimly and turned on her heel.

"So, it's true?" Kristen asked, "She's really- "

"Say nothing until it's confirmed by DNA results. Dana and Maggie should've given consent to have the analysis sent directly to you. Find me when you have it and tell no one. No rumors floating around until we know the truth." Jubal turned to OA, "Keep watch over her. It's been an emotional day. But I don't want to pull her. If we're wrong, the rumors will kill both of their careers."

OA nodded and went to follow Maggie. He found her holding the elevator for him. She raised an annoyed eyebrow, indicating she knew Jubal had given him further orders regarding her. OA gave a long-suffering sigh and puffed out his cheeks like he did when he wanted to control his temper. Maggie must have seen it, because she thrust something cold and metal into his hand. It soothed him somewhat that she was in a decent enough state of mind to realize that he should drive them. "Shut up," she rolled her eyes, staring straight ahead, but feeling his smirk all the same.

The ride to Newark was quick. OA had lights and sirens running until they were closer to the station. He and Maggie disembarked and met with a few other agents who were, like the duo, wearing bullet proof vests under normal winter coats. All eyes were on OA as he talked to Jubal through his earpiece. "We're here, Jubal. Thinking teams of two canvasing the area. Two on the exits with Maggie and I heading towards the platform."

"Okay, you are cleared to enter the building. Soon as anyone finds them all parties converge on that point. Let's close the trap."

"Alright Knife 3, west entrance, 4, east, 5 and 6 the departures platforms. Knife 2 mirror Maggie and I by heading to the arrivals platform from the north side of the building. Remember, we don't know if Myers is armed or not, but let's assumed he is. Try not to shoot unless we have Eleanor to safety."

The teams broke up and Maggie began to head to the south entrance when OA grabbed her wrist. She stubbornly tried to continue moving forward, but he held her gently, yet firmly, in place. "Mags, I know that that's is potentially your father in there and your little sister. But I know you Maggie. Your instincts are probably sharper than mine. I'm here for you when this is all over, but right now, please, this is just another case. I know you can push everything aside." She didn't say anything at that, but slide his grip farther down her wrist to her hand and squeezed it reassuringly before heading into the station.

Being not too long until the holidays, the station was crowded. The two agents tried to blend in by pasting fake smiles on their faces. To OA's surprise, Maggie grabbed his hand again and gave it a light swing. After his talk of keeping emotions out of the case, he felt guilty to feel butterflies in his stomach at her touch and at the charade of playing a happy couple about to board a train somewhere far away from their troubles. Never had he ever wanted to leave the city that he loved and just hop a train to somewhere else where they could be Maggie and OA, not Agents Bell and Zidan. "OA," Maggie stopped up short. "My 4 o'clock."

"Yeah, I see them." Myers and Eleanor were a few hundred feet in front of them. "Knife 1 to Knife all, we see the suspect walking from the arrivals platform towards the ticket booth in the Southeast corridor."

The man's gait was off and he kept his head down. Eleanor, to her credit, was keeping her head held high; OA realized that she was trying to be caught by cameras in much of the same way she had in New Haven. "Smart girl," he muttered under his breath. Though no matter how smart she was, she was still a child, and at that very moment she made a huge mistake. When looking up, the girl caught site of OA and, having recognized him from stopping by 26 fed, strained her neck to look a little too long.

It happened in a moment. Myers noticed his captive's attention shift and spun them both around, a knife pointed at her throat. People begun to scream, blocking Maggie and OA's path. They began shoving through the crowds, Maggie, being smaller and more agile, making better headway. "FBI move out of the way!" she yelled and continued to push through the crowd. By this point, the distance between her and OA had grown as he had gotten held up by a man on crutches and what seemed like an entire college basketball team. Even with his superior height, he lost sight of Maggie and Eleanor for a second. It was only second, but when the sea of people parted Eleanor Mosier was on the ground rubbing her wrist, entirely alone.

OA's eyes frantically searched the area as he fell to his knees in front of Eleanor. "Knife all, I have Eleanor, but I have lost visual of Agent Bell and the suspect. Repeat, I do not have eyes on Maggie and Myers." He practically screamed into his earpiece even as he saw other teams converging on him out of the corner of his eye.

"They're gone." His eyes snapped to Eleanor. He had never interacted with Dana's child before, but looking into her big, tear stained eyes was almost like more of a punch to the gut than her words. She was Maggie in miniature. "Eleanor, I'm Agent Zidan. Where did they go?"

"I…I don't know. Agent Bell… she said she was Maddie? Is that true? Mr. Myers, he let lunged at me. I was on the ground and they were gone. It all happened so fast." The teenager was sobbing now, shaking. The big brother in him gathered her up in his arms and soothed her before hitting his earpiece.

"Jubal, we lost Maggie. Eleanor seems okay, what…what do we do?" OA hated how his own voice broke, hated the shaky breathing on the other side.

"Bring her back to the JOC." Jubal said quietly.

OA let Stuart drive them home and sat in the back of the SUV with Eleanor. The only sound on the car ride was Eleanor sobbing until he had Stuart turn on the radio. The figure curled into him stilled as the strains of "The Fairytale of New York" poured from the speakers. She quieted for the rest of the ride, but OA had to control his own breathing to keep from crumbling as Maggie's sister hummed along to one of her favorite Christmas songs.

Jubal was there to meet them in the garage when they finally hit 26 fed after hitting several traffic jams due to the growing storm. "Dad!" Eleanor cried as she hopped out of the car. Jubal looked surprised at being addressed as such, but ran to take her into his arms. "It's okay Elle. It's okay, you're okay."

"Where's mom? Is she okay?"

"Your mom is fine. She's waiting for you upstairs." Jubal turned to OA, "C'mon we need to talk about what happened." OA nodded and followed the pair up to the JOC. As soon as they got off on the floor, Eleanor ran the familiar steps to Dana's office.

"Mom!"  
"Ellie!" Dana cried running out of her office and clutching her daughter tightly to her.

"Mom, I'm sorry! I thought I would find Maddie as a Christmas gift for you, but then this guy came up to me at school and-" Eleanor began to cry again.

"It's okay, it's not your fault."

"But, that agent said she was Maddie," She pulled away to look at Dana. "Mom, is it true?" Dana paused and motioned them all into her office.

"Mom?" Eleanor asked once they were inside.

"It's true. Maggie Bell is your older sister Maddie. We just got the results back." For a moment, Dana's eyes flitted to OA, but instead of reproach for losing her daughter, he found pity there.

"No, mom it's my fault! She was taken saving me! He said we'd never see her again!" Eleanor sobbed. OA nearly vomited at that, but swallowed it down.

"Eleanor, I know this is hard, but I need you to explain how exactly Maggie ended up getting taken by him; how you got away." OA said, "What happened isn't your fault, but you have a chance to help your sister."

Eleanor looked up at him with the same steely brown eyes as Maggie, looking as determined as her sister did during a case, and nodded.

"I'm so proud of you Ellie," Dana squeezed her shoulders, "How about you go with Jubal to the conference room, I promise I'll be right behind you with OA." She turned to Jubal, "Have Kristen join us. Just give us a minute." The ASAC nodded and looped an arm around Eleanor's shoulder as if to assure himself of her presence. Before he exited, he and Dana shared a look that made OA's blood run cold.

"What is it?"

"OA," Dana said, "you know I'm an expert profiler. You have feelings for Maggie."

"Uh, er yes m'am, but-"

"This case has blurred the lines between personal and professional. After this is over, we're all going to have to deal with that fallout. OA, I'm not mad you love her. That's not why I had you stay back."

"Then why-?"

"OA, Maggie had them draw extra blood for analysis. She gave me permission to get the results." Dana paused, her eyes filling, "OA, Maggie's pregnant."


	9. Chapter 9

A roaring filled OA's ears as he ran down the hallway and banged through the door of the men's room. Though it didn't register to his tumultuous mind, the bathroom was mercifully empty as he ran into a stall and puked his heartache out. Maggie was pregnant. Maggie was missing. Maggie was missing AND pregnant. The words swirled and chased each other around his mind as he slunk to the floor, his head falling into shaking hands. The cold from the floor seeped into him and he focused on it to try and ground him.

Maggie was missing, but wasn't dead and probably would stay that way longer than a normal captive would. Eleanor had been largely unharmed when they found her, and Maggie had the added benefit of actually _being _Madeline. And unlike Eleanor, Maggie was a top FBI agent who had her training to fall back on. This more hopeful turn in his thoughts calmed him enough to probe at the other thoughts plaguing his mine; _his _child was missing too. He was worried, terrified, really, but a smile tugged at his lips at the thought of a baby that was half him and half Maggie. OA had always wanted to be a father and now the woman he loved was carrying his child. The rest of the situation was less than ideal, beyond the obvious that both mother and child were in imminent danger he and Maggie weren't together. Their night was special, but they had decided not to take it further for the sake of the job, which was now moot. Everyone on the job would end up knowing they shared a child. They would probably be forced to change their working relationship, but OA didn't know if a subsequent change in their personal life would follow. He knew Maggie wanted kids, but did she want to raise a kid with him? How involved would she let him be?

He shook his head at those thoughts. Maggie was missing and while the clock was not ticking quite so relentlessly, he needed to focus on the next 24 hours and not the next 18 plus years of child raising. He moved to the sink and splashed water on his face, leaving the bathroom when he felt satisfied he looked less like a madman. A fleeting thought of Mona passed through his mind as he walked to meet Dana and Jubal; he knew that no matter what happened his heart wouldn't be in a place to hold anyone but Maggie for a while.

Kristen was lurking outside of the conference room. She gave him a sympathetic smile, alerting him to her knowledge of his and Maggie's child. He blushed a bit, realizing that perhaps they hadn't been as subtle in their feelings for one another as he thought. They opened the door to find Eleanor sitting at the table flanked on either side by Dana and Jubal. Her dark brown eyes bore into OA as he moved to sit across from her.

"I'm sorry about Maggie. Mom says you two are very close," Eleanor reached across the table and squeezed his hand; a very Maggie like move.

"Uh, thanks," OA choked out, "Eleanor, I know you've just been through something terrible, but can you tell us what happened? From the time you first met Myers to the time that we found you. Feel free to take your time."

Eleanor nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay, I don't really remember bits of it, but I'll tell you what I can. I remember leaving school with my best friends. They got picked up first since they had a basketball game across town, so it was just me standing on the corner. I got a text and thought it was from Dad saying he was late or something. The next I knew I smelled something sweet and woke up in a room still in my uniform, but my backpack was gone. It was set up like a child's room with a canopy bed, a lot of stuffed animals, even a tea party set. I went to look for an exit and found that the door was locked and that the windows were those weird cube ones that you find in basements? It was cold in there too, but when I looked in the dresser all the clothes were for a much younger girl. I just got under the covers at that point and waited until a man appeared. He said," she took a shaky breath, "he said he was my Dad. My real Dad. I knew it couldn't be true, I may not remember my father, but I've seen pictures and it wasn't him. But, the guy was acting really weird. He kept tripping over his feet and smelled like urine. He definitely peed himself at some point. Wasn't going to tell him I wasn't his daughter, so I just went with it. He kept talking about how mom had taken me from him and how he was going to raise me now, that we'd be happy together. We just had to hide from the FBI since all of them were in mom's pocket. And then it was really weird, we just played tea party like I was 5 and he left for a bit and came back with fried chicken. It smelled rotten and I wasn't going to eat or drink anything he gave me, so I pretended, and it seemed to work. He kept babbling about Maddie at dinner, which is when I guessed this was about mom's Maddie. His phone went off towards the end of dinner, so I stashed the uneaten stuff under the bed. When he came back, he was frantic. He rushed me into a garage and then to a car. We ditched it maybe 20-30 minutes later? I counted about 1,234 seconds. It was by some woods, maybe in Jersey? There was an old farm stand on the other side of the road. I could see a river through the trees and there was a burnt out smokestack to the left. At one point I tried to make a break for it, pretended I needed to go to the bathroom, but he had a knife and I didn't want to push it. We ended up at an Amtrak station. At the first station, I didn't see any cameras and the train was pretty empty. But at the next two I tried to look at every camera, I knew mom would have everyone checking them."

"You did good, Elle," Jubal hugged her.

"Yeah, he didn't notice until we were on the train to Newark. It had more people and I tried to make eye contact with every person. I didn't know if you had put my photo out there, but I thought it wouldn't hurt. I guess, I guess… I wasn't subtle because that's when he was starting to treat me a bit more roughly, kept a tight grip on me. He also, it was weird, but he also seemed to realize that I wasn't the right age to be Maddie. He started muttering that mom fooled him and I could tell his hand was on the knife. He was going to buy tickets back to New York and ransom me until mom gave up Maddie. That's when I saw OA."

She looked at the man in question for a moment, "You're like ridiculously tall. And um…fit. I uh know your face," The girl blushed at that and quickly looked away. "So, I stared at you, made sure that you saw me. I shouldn't have been so eager. He noticed and that's, that's," She began crying.

"That's when he pointed the knife at your throat," OA kindly said so she didn't have to.

Eleanor nodded. "Everything happened so fast, people began running and screaming, you guys yelled that you were FBI, then the next thing I knew I couldn't see you, but I could see Maggie. She told him to put the knife down, that he hadn't ruined his life yet. He started shaking, the knife... he said that if he put the knife down, he'd never see Maddie again. Maggie said that if he didn't put it down, she'd shoot, but she was lying. I may not know much about being an agent, but she didn't have a shot without hitting me. Then his hand really started to shake, and I could tell Maggie saw it and was really worried. She…she said she was Maddie. She said that she was born 35 years ago to Dana Mosier and that she would be his daughter if he just let me go. Which he did. He lunged at me, but it wasn't to stab me. He threw me on the ground and made Maggie move towards us. Then…I'm sorry! He smelled so weird already I didn't realize he had more of the stuff he used to knock me out. The next I saw he dove into the crowd, carrying Maggie and then I couldn't see them." She dropped her head into her hands, "It's my fault."

"No sweetie!" "Oh sweetheart!" Jubal and Dana moved to comfort, but Eleanor shook them off and kept crying.

"Eleanor," OA's voice cut through the well-meaning din, "Eleanor, it is not your fault. You are a kid. You are not an agent, but you already acted wise beyond your years. I would let you have my back any day. You said he didn't hurt you, that's good. There is good chance Maggie is fine. You gave us some key intel." The teen looked up at him with a wobbly smile.

"There's something you can use? From my story? I didn't know where I was until we hit the train stations."

"You gave us a lot. He may not come back for the car, but he's starting to make mistakes. He may have left something there." OA turned to Kristen, "You think you can piece together a possible location for the car from her description?

"Shouldn't be too hard with our satellites. I'll get Ian to help."

"Good, we'll have a team do a sweep when you find it. Go over the CCTV footage from the train station again. A guy doesn't just disappear like that." Jubal added. Kristen nodded and headed to the main JOC, leaving OA standing there feeling like an intruder as Jubal and Dana turned their attention back to Eleanor. After a beat, he cleared his throat.

"Uh, so what should I do? Go back over Myers's history, see if we missed anything? He set up a whole room for Maddie, he had to have bought the stuff somewhere."

Jubal looked like he was about to object, most likely with a mind to bench him, but Dana cut in, "That's a good idea. I think Jubal mentioned while you were gone that the lab found the code he used to spy on Eleanor's searches?" Jubal nodded, "He may have hidden his transactions, but people who code often have their own signature they leave in their work. Get someone from cyber to help."

"Thank you, ma'am." OA nodded and left the room. He paused outside the door for a second, long enough to hear the conversation inside.

"You were given the order to stand down. It's my call to decide if OA should do the same." Jubal pointed out.

"True, but it is my professional and personal opinion that he needs an occupation, or he'll hurt the case."

"He's too close to this."

"That may be, but we all are, " Dana paused long enough that OA began to move away, thus he almost missed her next comment, "But if it was me missing, wouldn't you burn the world and damn it all no matter what the SAC said?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It was slow going, sitting at his desk and combing through the financials of a guy who didn't appear to exist. Beyond the financials, OA also looked into robberies in the area at any stores that would have sold the toys, furniture, and other accoutrements Eleanor had described. He had been at it for what felt like hours when a mug of coffee was thrust in front of his weary eyes. In his growing exhaustion, he smiled at the familiar gesture seen during many a long night with his partner. But the hand holding the mug was unblemished by calluses from the shooting range, ruining the mirage that Maggie was there beside him. It was not his partner standing before him, but Eleanor.

"Thank you," he muttered, gratefully. He expected her to go away, but she pulled up an empty chair, her sister's chair, and sat beside him.

"Any luck?"

"No, not really." He spun his chair to look at her. "You need something Eleanor?"

"No, no, sorry." The teen seemed sheepish and moved to leave.

"Eleanor, I have three sisters. I know when something is wrong. What's on your mind?"

"It's silly really, you're busy. I'll just-"

OA held up a hand, "No, stay. I need a break anyway. I'm no use to Maggie if I fall asleep at my desk. Kristen has a better shot at finding something useful. This is just busy work."

"Right, okay," Eleanor fiddled with a pen on her desk, not unlike her surrogate father, "just, what's she like?"

"Maggie?"

"Yeah, mom said she's my sister. Before today, she and Dad would talk about you guys and the rest of your coworkers. They always talk about how good of an agent she is or how hard losing her husband has been on her. Mom thinks she could be a great profiler, Dad thinks she'll stay on the tactical side of things. Both always muse that if she had the mind to do it, she could be an ASAC or SAC one of these days. But, who is she?"

OA didn't want to talk about Maggie. There was too much to say and it felt a lot like when he'd tell Yazmin, his youngest sister, about their father. Like he was discussing someone that the younger girl either didn't know or couldn't remember. She was working him though, with her big brown eyes, the ones that he always thought were the key to Maggie's success. He once joked about her ability to cut through emotions; in truth, he felt that it was her eyes in particular that could cut you to the bone.

Sighing, he played with the mug in his hands and took a sip. It was strong enough to raise the dead.

"Well, to start. You both make ridiculously strong coffee."

"Really?" Eleanor laughed, "Mom makes it that way too, though she prefers tea."

"Yeah, no Maggie thinks tea is for wimps and is addicted to coffee. Uh, let's see. You both have similar taste in Christmas music if your reaction to the Fairytale of New York is an indication. That and I heard the Bells on Christmas Day are her favorites. She has a favorite leather jacket that she treats like it's a child or something. Drives me crazy when she wears it on cases, she's always fidgeting with it in the car when she thinks I can't see, brushing dust or droplets off it. Her favorite color is blue, and she hates all shades of orange. She always wears the same earrings, they're studs, her big brother gave them to her when she graduated the police academy. He's over in Iraq and wearing them makes her feel close to him. She prefers Mexican food and her favorite show is Untold Stories of the ER, but will watch anything on TLC."

OA rambled on and on, listing every little detail he could think of, figuring that the big things were covered by the bits Dana and Jubal had told her about Maggie as an agent. He thought she should get an introduction into who Maggie truly was.

He was just getting done with a story about catching Maggie dancing around in a pair of old socks one day when he went to pick her up for a case, when Eleanor reached out and grabbed his hand. "You really love her, don't you?" she asked with all of the dewy-eyed hope of a teen who dreamed of love, but was not quite ready for it.

"Yes," OA felt weird that the first time he admitted it out loud was to Maggie's little sister, "I love Maggie."

"Cool, cool," Eleanor said with a smirk, "good to know I may be a bride's maid as well as an aunt."

OA's face grew hot as he blew out a laugh, but before he could respond Kristen ran over. He shot up, "You have anything?"

"Yes, we have an exact location of the car and it's not far from a ground team already in Jersey. They're processing the car now." She replied, motioning for him to follow.

He began to walk away, but double backed. "Good job kid," he smirked as he ruffled Eleanor's hair.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be?" Eleanor chuckled, "You're that type of annoying brother. Good to know, good to know. Now go get her." OA rolled his eyes, laughing and thinking that he was in for it when she someday, hopefully, met his sisters.

The JOC was hopping when he entered and walked over to where Jubal and Kristen were huddled over the main computer. "Anything yet?"

"You're just in time for the preliminary report." Kristen hit something on her iPad and brought up pictures from the car. "You see that?"

"An empty car?" OA asked snippily.

"No, a car with a GPS."

"Kris, he's a software engineer, he probably hacked it to clear the history." Jubal pointed out.

"You'd think, but unless you have the right training it's hard to hack a car. A fishing program or hiding financials is a different ballgame in the programming world. Luckily, the FBI is in a league of our own. Let me just," She typed something, and a new screen pulled up, "There we go. Full route history. Looks like he left from an apartment building on Avenue C."

"Excellent work. Okay, people, we have an address for Myers. Based on the testimony of Eleanor Mosier, there is a good chance he has Agent Bell somewhere in the basement of the apartment building. Scola and OA, go meet SWAT at the location." Jubal called out to the JOC. Before OA could run out of the room, Jubal stopped him.

"OA, this needs to be by the book. It's the only way we get them out safely. Scola is taking point." The use of the word them didn't escape OA. His heart flew to his throat, so all he could do was nod at the sober reminder of all he stood to lose if he made a mistake.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

OA wasn't used to riding with Scola and resolved to never do so again. The other agent had a surprising propensity towards mindless chatter and metal music that was grating on OA's last nerve. He was extra edgy and jumpy by the time they arrived on scene and met up with SWAT. "Alright, everyone ready? Kristen sent the building plans. There are two large basement apartments and the boiler room." Stuart called, "On my count. 3-2-1."

Quietly, they stormed the building and headed to the basement. They had used the back steps, so they had to pass through the boiler room to get to the apartments. The room was clear, so they advanced to a narrower hallway with a door on either end. Stuart knocked on the first door decorated with a moldering wreath, "FBI open up!" The door flew open revealing a little old lady in a faded housecoat. "Is everything alright officers?" she asked, squinting before putting on a pair of glasses hanging on a chain. "Handsome officers too!"

One of the SWAT guys coughed to hide a laugh, which caused OA to glare; he wasn't in a joking mood. Sensing this, Stuart took the lead. "Ma'am is there anyone else in the apartment with you?"

"No, just me and Mr. Tibbles, my cat. Has he been naughty?"

"Um, no. Ma'am do you know anything about your neighbor down the hall?"

"Oh yes! David! Poor man, I think he's sick. Keep trying to get him to see the doctor. His daughter is here now he says, pretty thing with dark hair. I saw him leading her to his apartment maybe 20 minutes ago. Hopefully she'll get him help." Stuart placed a hand on OA's vest to keep him from bolting to the other door now that they had confirmation that Maggie and Myers were in the building. "Thanks, ma'am. We'll check in on him. You just take care now and stay in your home."

"You sure you don't want to stay with me? Or your tall friend here?"

"Errr, thank you for your help ma'am." Stuart said, gently closing the door. He turned to the team. "Alright, converge on Myers's apartment. No flash bang, we don't want to risk Bell. On my count 3-2-1."

"FBI, open up!" SWAT yelled, breaking down the door. The apartment seemed empty, but was more spacious than expected. SWAT began clearing the numerous rooms and OA grabbed two team members and headed to a metal door in the back that seemed like a good place to hold a captive. The door was, unsurprisingly, locked.

"FBI! Stay back from the door," OA yelled as the door was forced open revealing an assault of pink. It was the room Eleanor had described. And on the bed…"OA?"

OA froze for a second and took a deep, cleansing breath, "Thank God. Mags?" He ran over to her. She was lying on the bed, covers drawn to defend against the chill in the room, but other than being cold she looked unharmed. "You okay, partner?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Took you long enough," Maggie joked, eyes twinkling. "Knew you'd get here eventually." He held out his hand and helped her up from the bed, his eyes continuing to take in the sight of her happy and whole. OA couldn't help himself, he pulled her into a hug, which wasn't strictly professional, but he had a feeling anyone with a partner who had been missing would have done the same, romantic feelings aside. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

"I'll try my best," she pulled away, but did not step out of the circle of his arms. They stared into each other's eyes, everything that had been left unsaid swirling between them. For a moment, it was just the two of them, or three of them, for a shock went through OA's system as he realized that he was in the awkward position of having to eventually be the one to tell her that she was pregnant. He didn't really think now was the right time, but it nearly burst from him. Luckily, Stuart interrupted.

"Agent Bell, glad to see you're doing well. We cleared the apartment and didn't see any signs of Myers. Any idea where he went?"

Maggie's eyes went wide. "He hasn't left the apartment." OA held her arms tighter at her words and exchanged a nervous look at Stuart. "Mags, what do you mean?"

Just then a flash bang went off and the door swung shut with a huge crash. When the smoke cleared, OA, Scola, and Maggie were on one side of the door with Myers, separated from the rest of SWAT.

OA was on top of Maggie having thought the flash bang was a bomb and having blocked her from any shrapnel with his body. Stuart was beside him, dazed on the floor, but looking as though he would probably be okay minus a knock on his head. OA was down an agent and separated from his team with an unarmed partner. He hoped that the bang hadn't disoriented or caused injury to his team on the outside and that they'd burst through the door, but in the meantime, it would just be him and Maggie against Myers. Maggie turned her head slightly to look at him. Her face was close enough that he could feel the warm reassurance of her breath on his cheek. Neither spoke, but they had a verbal debate as to whether or not to play unconscious or to spring on Myers immediately, when Maggie's eyes went wide. Before OA could ask what was wrong, she screamed as something began pulling her from under the bed. Myers had used the confusion to roll beneath it and was now forcibly trying to pry Maggie from OA.

"Get off my daughter!" he began to shriek over Maggie's screams of pain. OA looked at the hand grabbing at her and his heart stopped as he saw a flash of silver. Myers had a knife in the hand holding Maggie and a tiny line of blood was already appearing on Maggie's skin. OA tried to look reassuring as he sprang from Maggie and stood up. "Okay, okay. I'm off, I'm off. Let her go David, you're hurting her." Myers looked down at his hand and seemed surprised to see the knife squished between it and his daughter. He loosened his grip, but kept the knife pointed at Maggie as he forced both of them to their feet. OA noticed that there was a trickle of wetness running down his leg, staining his pants. For a second he worried it was blood, Maggie's blood, but the wet spot on the front of Myers's pants told him otherwise. "David, you aren't well. Why don't we all leave here together? We can get you help. Look, you and I both care about Maggie. This isn't going to end well for you and that's going to upset her."

"He's right, Dad," OA noticed that she had to choke the word out, "please, let's get you some help."

"No, you'll leave. You'll leave like your mother did. She took you from me, poisoned you against me. No, you're staying right here." The knife was now pointed at Maggie's throat and David put her in a modified choke hold. OA felt sick as Maggie began gasping for air.

"David, please if you love your daughter, you'll realize you're hurting her. Let her go and I promise you'll see her after we get you help. Please, I love her too. Don't do this." His voice was hoarse as he begged. Maggie's pained eyes caught his and widened at his words. It seemed to give her renewed strength for he noticed her change her breathing the way they were taught to at the academy to loosen the grip on their captor in scenarios like this. The maneuver seemed to be working; Maggie gained a centimeter of space. Her eyes locked on OA's and a silent exchange passed between them. Almost imperceptibly, Maggie nodded. She gained another bit of space from Myers and then kicked back hard towards his crotch while simultaneously lunging forward away from the knife. OA moved swiftly, drawing his gun. "Keep your hands where I can see them!" He yelled as David made to grab Maggie who was now flat on the floor and crawling towards OA. "Do not move any closer and put the knife down." Myers didn't listen and instead dove to grab Maggie who was now safely behind OA's legs. The knife was still in Myers hand as he dove to the ground, the angle of the dive making a shot awkward for OA, but he fell back on his training and a shot rang out.

Blood was suddenly everywhere. More blood than OA had expected to be pooled on the ground from the wound he had given Myers; he had basically shot the other man in the buttocks. He moved to kick the knife away and cuff him, when he realized couldn't move his leg.

"OA!" Maggie screamed. He turned to her and saw her looking at his upper thigh where Myers's knife was sticking out of his leg.

He stumbled back in a daze as his mind registered the pain and the blood now trickling around the knife. His heart started racing as the adrenaline kicked in, trying to keep his body working properly. The room was fuzzy, he barely registered Maggie grab the cuffs from him to put on Myers. She gently lowered him to the ground, hands shaking, words shaking too as she uttered nonsensical platitudes. He saw her also check on Stuart before she was gone. "Mags!" He cried, spots dancing across his eyes, terrified that she was gone for good in his pain addled brain. Her gentle hand was grasping his a second later as the room filled with the sounds of SWAT; he registered that she must have left to open the door.

"It's okay, OA. You're okay."

"I'm okay because you're okay." He mumbled reaching out to brush an errant strand of hair from her face. She gave him a watery smile. "Just stay with me, Omar." He tried, but was fading quickly into blackness. The last thing his remembered was a gentle voice in his ear whispering, "I love you too."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**Sorry for the delay in posting! Holidays are in full swing. There will probably be a chapter or two after this that'll be posted the day after Christmas. **

It was loud when OA regained consciousness to a cacophony of beeps and whirs from the various machines checking his vitals. The lone window in his room alerted him that it was night, but not which night. That thought brought him back to his senses;_ which _night was it? How long ago had he been in that horrid pink bedroom? And Maggie, she had been in the room too, was she okay? Did she really say she loved him too?

He began struggling to look at his surroundings with an aim to leave the room to find her when a firm hand pushed him back down. "It's okay, Omar, she's okay." The warm, familiar voice did not belong to Maggie, but to Mona who was sat in the uncomfortable chair next to his bed. Usually impeccable in appearance, Mona was in sweats and a law school sweatshirt, eyes dazed with lack of sleep. OA had mixed feelings about her presence, which Mona seemed to pick up on as she repeated. "She's okay, Omar. Maggie's okay, your child too." There was no malice in her voice, not even the cold detachment common to many scorned lovers, confusing him further. She sighed and smoothed his blanket before looking at him with a smirk. "I always said that you talked about her a lot. Omar, I may not be an FBI agent, but reading people is still part of my job. You loved her when we met, which was fine when it was just sex. And maybe I should be mad that you did say yes to a relationship, but I had a part in this too. I asked for more than I knew you could give, and you committed more than you should've; no hard feelings. For once, I actually want to remain friends with an ex, especially since I absolutely love the woman he's in love with."

OA could only blink at the wonderful being before him. She really and truly was one of the best people he knew and was thankful to not lose her as a friend. He opened his mouth to tell her, but she waved him off. "Seriously, Omar it's fine. I kinda knew we were over before your friend, Kristen, called. She couldn't get ahold of your mom or Amira. Don't worry, they're fine too," she pushed him back down, "they had gone to a movie and turned their phones off. They'll come tomorrow. Figured you'd want to sort things with Maggie first and I knew you'd be fine, just needed a friendly face when you woke."

"Thank you," OA choked out in gratitude, "for everything. Where is Maggie? What day is it even?"

"The 22nd, still a few days left until Christmas. You've only been out for half the night. You were lucky that the knife hit muscle and wasn't too deep. Needed stitches, but it looks like you escaped surgery barring complications. You did need a blood transfusion." She gestured to a nearly empty IV bag, "Maggie tried to come with you in the ambulance, but SWAT called an extra bus for her along with those for Myers and Stuart."

"STUART!" OA tried to jump out of bed yet again, forcing Mona to throw her hands up in defeat.

"He's fine. Has a concussion, so they're keeping him here overnight for observation. His partner is with him, says they'll come visit in the morning. You're looking at another night here, at least. But Maggie should be discharged and able to keep you company."

"What happened? She didn't seem injured at the scene."

"Dehydration. Looks like that kid of your's is as ornery as its father. Didn't like the excitement and made its feelings known by making Maggie a bit sick and dizzy. I saw here earlier though, and she was fine. Her mom is with her now. But, she needs her sleep." She gave OA a significant look that forced him to abandon the idea of seeing Maggie that evening. He could feel sleep tugging at his own mind, but ignored its call to ask, "What about Myers?"

Mona shook her head, "I don't know. They only told Maggie what was going on with him?" OA groaned at the question in Mona's eyes.

"How about we leave that as a story for the first girls' night you have with your new best friend Maggie?"

"Laugh all you want, but if I swung that way, you'd have massive competition, Omar Zidan." OA smiled at that, which did much to soothe the disquiet that still simmered in OA. He would not be satisfied that Maggie was truly alright until she was in front of him.

OA began to drift off not long after, which was not lost on Mona. "Omar, go to sleep. I promised Maggie I'd stay the night and I will. I'm off all tomorrow before I catch an earlier flight to Singapore."

"Mmm, guess I won't be going."

"Maybe you guys can come another year." Her form began to flicker as OA blinked more and more, losing the battle with sleep. "Thanks." He mumbled at the extraordinary woman in front of him before drifting off.

Another extraordinary woman was holding his hand when he woke. This time his room was lighter and his leg hurt more; he registered they probably had started weening him off the harder painkillers. He forgot about the pain when he realized that the hand holding his belonged to person with lighter hair than Mona. To an outside observer, Maggie Bell looked awful in the thin morning light, having not showered since her ordeal, hair in a messy bun, the vague smell of hospital and illness emanating from her every pore. To OA, however, she was the most beautiful site his eyes had ever had the privilege of beholding. An errant strand escaped, as it often did, and took up residence on her forehead, daring to be tucked back into place. He stifled the urge in favor of letting her sleep on, but a slight twitch of his hand had her springing up. Her large eyes darted to the monitors to check for danger before, finding none, she looked at his face and saw he was awake. A smile broke across her face. "How are you doing there partner?"

"Me? I'm fine, just a scratch." He tried to brush it off, but though she laughed her face was troubled. "I'm fine Mags, really. It hurts-"Maggie stood up at that as if to go get someone to rectify it, but his hand shot out and grabbed her's, "Stay, please. It hurts, but it's better now that you're here."

She rolled her eyes, "This how it's going to be? You being ridiculously cheesy for the rest of our lives?"

OA's heart hammered, but he smirked, "The rest of our lives? Why Special Agent Maggie Bell, what are you implying?" She tried to return his smirk in kind, but her eyes were scared, ruining the effect. Painfully, he moved to make room for her on the bed, ignoring her protests, and tugged her down next to him. She relented, but did not curl up with him in favor of perching precariously on the edge. They were silent for a second, neither knowing how to start. Given the emotional wringer she was going through with her biological family, OA decided to break the silence.

"Uh, Mona implied that you now know that-"

"I'm pregnant?" He nodded, "Yeah, hard to miss when I puked my guts out in the ambulance and felt dizzier than ever." She sounded fondly annoyed and her unclaimed hand moved nearer to her abdomen.

"So, uh how do you feel?" OA tried not to cringe; he hated discussing emotions as much as she did. "About the baby? About the baby being my baby? A baby that's not-"

"Not Jason's?" He nodded and stared at the blanket. A gently hand caught his chin and gently tilted his face up.

"It's okay if you only meant it because tensions were running high, but I meant it when I said that I love _you_. You, Omar Adom Zidan, are the man I am in love with. I want to be a mother, I want to have this baby with you. You, because you, OA are nobody's second choice. I'd choose you if Jason was here right now. You and our child."

"Mags," tears welled in his eyes, "you don't have to say that. It's okay that you still love him."

"I do still love him, that's true. But, I'm not _in _love with him anymore. I don't think he'd still be in love with me because I'm not the Maggie he left behind. I'm different, my life is different. And though I wish he hadn't been murdered, different isn't a bad thing. I don't think the Maggie I am now would work with the Jason that died. Whether you love me or not, you see me. You see how I've struggled to move on emotionally, romantically, professionally. You've stood by me, challenged me, and comforted me. Never think I don't love you OA or that I want anyone else."

There were no words to express OA's feelings so with a grunt of discomfort he closed the gap between them and kissed her with hoping to convey more than words could. But when they came up for air, he felt that he still needed to say those three words. Gently caressing her cheek, he said, "I love you. I meant it when I said it in that basement and have felt it for years. I love you and I love this kid we made. I love you, Mags. I love you." The dam broke. He kept saying it as it turned into a broken, hollow whisper, tears streaming down his face. Immediately, Maggie took him in her arms, laying his head over her heart. She let him cry to the rhythm of the steady beats, letting the saltwater cleanse the pain and worry of the last few days.


	13. Chapter 13

Epilogue

**Thanks to my wonderful readers! And thanks to my loving friend for editing. Sorry for the delay!**

"Daddy! Daddy!" Each word was punctuated by a poke from a chubby finger. OA cracked an eye open and nearly jumped back at the proximity of the chocolate eyes staring back at him, finger poised to poke his, now open, eyes.

"Ok," He gentle grabbed the little hand in his, "I'm up. And what did we say about poking people?"

The tiny figure in front of him stuck out her lower lip in a perfect imitation of her mother, "Not to, sorry Daddy."

"It's okay, sweetie." He picked her up and placed her on the bed, noting as he did that his wife's space was unoccupied. "Did you have a bad dream? Are you feeling okay, Yazi?"

"No bad dream. I's okay."

"I'm," OA gently corrected, "Then what are you doing up this late?" A glance at the clock corrected him and it took all his resolve as a parent to not swear, "Or early."

"I had to go potty. And Mommy had to go potty too only she made a mess. She tolded me to wake you." OA nodded along, mentally calculating how much sleep he had left before work when her words hit him. He leapt out of bed as quickly as possible without startling his daughter and hustled into the bathroom. He was greeted by a grunt of pain and the sight of his very pregnant wife cleaning up the bathroom floor.  
"Hey," Maggie greeted, wincing through a contraction.

"Hey? Mags, you're in labor!"

"I'm pretty sure that's what my water breaking means." She tried to smirk, but it ended in a grimace.

"Maggie what are you doing, we need to get going!"

"We have time, I was in labor for forever with Yazi."

"Twins, Mags, twins. C'mon, I'll call your mom and grab the hospital bag, alright partner?" He helped her up off the ground and made to leave when she pulled him to her and captured his lips in a kiss.

"What's that for?"

"Everything." Maggie smiled. "Now, go, the three of us can hold it."

Dana's phone ringing brought Jubal out of his much-deserved sleep. He had been chasing a case all week and was short-handed without his usual ASAC. He tried to ignore it, hoping that his fiancé of two years would answer, but Dana somehow slept through it. Sighing, he rolled over, "Jubal."

"Jubal, hey it's OA. Is Dana there? If she's not there, can you come over? Oh, Maggie is in labor by the way." It took Jubal a second for the words to register and when it did, it brought a sense of déjà vu. Apparently, OA had not mellowed after the birth of his first child and instead sounded equally as panicked as he did when he had called Jubal and Dana nearly four years ago. "Yeah, we're on our way. We'll call the team on the way. And OA?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget to call your mom. And breathe." He added before OA hung up.

"Guessing we're about to be grandparents again?" Dana asked groggily.

"Yeah, good thing only Eleanor is home right now. Maybe she can entertain Yaz while we sleep more." Dana gave him a look, "What? Maggie was in labor with Yaz for nearly 25 hours." That had been a crazy day. Dana and Eleanor had insisted on sitting with Maggie, or in the waiting room when she just wanted OA, for the whole thing. In the nine months between finding out they were related and Yazmine's birth, the three women had become inseparable, their ordeal with Myers had created an intense bound that had only grown through the years.

"Second babies come faster, plus she was supposed to have a scheduled C-section for the twins. C'mon, Grandpa." Jubal pretended to be annoyed, but he secretly loved being someone's grandpa. He couldn't wait to have two more grandkids to love.

"You're at 9cm, Maggie." Dr. Matthews declared, "Everything is progressing nicely and you're just at term."

"What does that mean?" OA asked, all fidgety.

"She doesn't need a C-section and it shouldn't be too long before we move her into the delivery room. I'll come back and check on her in a little while." OA nodded and continued his pacing.

"OA, that's good, everything is fine. I don't know why you're so nervous, we've done this before." She reached out and grabbed his hand when his pacing brought him within reach, "Unless, you have something big planned, like proposing again?" OA smiled at the memory and sat next to her on the bed. The last time they had done this, Yazmine had been early by a week. OA had planned a fancy dinner the week before her due date, which happened to correspond with their first day as partners. He had been so nervous all day long, he had missed Maggie grimacing in pain. And Maggie had had several bouts of false labor pains that she ignored the contractions for a while. They had made it to the restaurant and were through to dessert when her water broke right when he was about to ask her. It took forever for Maggie to gain the last 2cm she needed before pushing and sometime during all the worrying and waiting and pacing he had done by her bedside, the proposal just slipped out.

"No, no proposals this time. I don't think I can top that this time. We'll see about next time."

Maggie's grip tightened into a death grip as a contraction hit her, "Ugh, there won't be a next time."

"Breathe, Mags." He gently rubbed her lower back and kissed the side of her head. The contraction lasted for a while.

"That was a bad one," Maggie panted when it was over. "Yeah, this is the last time. And that's an order."

"Can't argue with the ASAC."

Dana, Eleanor, Jubal, and Yazmine came to the hospital when OA texted that Maggie was going to be wheeled into the delivery room. They walked into the maternity ward waiting room to find it filled to the brim. "Looks like your whole team is here," Dana smirked, taking Yazi from Jubal and heading over to OA's mother.

"Is anyone left at the JOC?" Jubal asked Kristen, Ian, and Scola.

"You gave us the day off after our stellar work on the last case," Ian reminded him.

"Like we were really going to miss Maggie killing OA for knocking her up with twins," Kristen added before she went over to chat with Eleanor. Jubal sighed and turned to his old friend. Stuart smiled and patted him on the back.

"Wouldn't miss you becoming a grandpa again," he teased, "And take a few days off besides. You made me ASAC while Maggie is on leave, it's my job to be acting SAC when needed. Though as soon as you're both back I want out in the field."

"Miss the dream team?" Jubal and Maggie had taken over after Isobel took a job as SAC in the LA field office. They worked together in a manner similar to when he and Dana were running things and moral in the JOC, and close rates, were at an all time high.

"Miss you?" Scola smirked, "Nah, the paperwork is enough to kill me. Takes away from me working on your bachelor party plans." At the thought of what awaited him after the bachelor party, Jubal smiled and sought Dana out. She was radiant with their granddaughter snuggled between her and Fatima Zidan in an animated conversation with Fatima, Amira, and Eleanor. He wished the rest of the family was there, but figured that it was better that his ex had the kids and OA's grandmother was taking care of the younger girls. Dana caught his eye and smiled without breaking the conversation and his heart stopped. When he was at rock bottom, he hadn't thought he could have the family he had or the chance to rise in the ranks of the FBI. And it was all due to the woman who he finally asked to marry him. They had waited, wanting to focus on OA and Maggie's wedding, then on his adopting Eleanor before they took the plunge. The trial for Myers was also a drawn out complication. He didn't think he could fall any harder in love with Dana until the trial and he discovered new depths to her and their love.

Myers had been evaluated and found to have normal pressure hydrocephalus, a condition that affected his cognition. Some patients had dementia-like symptoms, which made it very difficult to ascertain if he had been in his right mind when he had decided to kidnap Eleanor and Maggie. It was ultimately decided that beyond getting surgery to treat his condition, he did have to spend some time in prison being that much of his plan had been premeditated. Throughout the trial, Dana had been a rock for both of her daughters, a listening ear for OA's frustrations and worries, and calming presence for Jubal himself. After Myer's surgery, he had asked to see her and had tried to make amends with her. Jubal was awestruck that she agreed to see him let alone forgive him for everything he had done to her. She did not forgive him for hurting her daughters, but had listened and counseled Maggie into seeing Myers. And she had been by her eldest's side as Maggie truly met her biological father for the first time. The grace and compassion she showed took Jubal's breath away.

"Push, Maggie!" Dr. Matthews commanded. OA cringed as his wife bore down crushing his hand in the process. He hated seeing her in pain like this and could feel her frustration; the doctor had been telling her to push for a while now. With his free hand he brushed her sweaty hair out of her face and murmured words of love. "I can see the first head! Give me a big push Maggie."

"OA," Maggie moaned and he moved further onto the bed to help brace her.

"It's go time, partner. You've got this." His words were met with a scream as Maggie pushed with all of her might before collapsing back into him. A small cry sounded in the room causing OA's eyes to water. He felt like he was back in the delivery room nearly 3 years ago, becoming a father for the first time as the nurse put the tiny bundle in Maggie's arms. "It's a girl." The nurse said. The baby stopped crying as she cuddled to Maggie's bare chest.

"Hello, hello baby. I'm your Mommy. And this is your Daddy."

"You're so beautiful." OA choked out and stroked the baby's chin. The moment was ruined by another contraction starting up.

"Sally, take baby A. Looks like baby B is on the way." Dr. Matthews instructed the nurse as they started the process over again. It was surreal as OA watched his youngest being born. This one cried a bit less than either of the baby's sisters had, gurgling contentedly while being placed on Maggie's chest. He barely registered the nurse announcing he had a son or handing him his youngest daughter; he was too enamored with his family.

"Oh they're so perfect." Maggie gushed, tears in her eyes. Through his own tears, he met her eyes. There were no words to describe how much he loved her or their children in that moment. Emotions clogged his throat and all he could do to express his joy was to hold them close and press kisses to each of their brows.

"They need names," Maggie hoarsely pointed out. "I was thinking Yosef for this little guy." Fresh tears sprang from OA's eyes at his wonderful wife's suggestion. His son would carry the name of his beloved father. He could return the favor.

"And Mary-Ellen for this little one." Maggie's face broke out in a smile at that and gave him a fierce kiss in thanks for naming their daughter after her adoptive mother and biological mother and sister. Dana's middle name was Eleanor after the great-grandma Maggie had never known.

"Excuse me," Nurse Sally interrupted their family moment, "but let's finish getting Maggie and the babies cleaned up. We'll move them into a room shortly."

"OA, you should go. Let everyone know that they're here and that we're okay." Maggie caught OA's protective look and continued, "We'll be fine if you leave for a second. Besides, Yazi needs you." The mention of their eldest did the trick and Maggie chuckled as OA placed frantic kisses on her, Yosef, and Mary-Ellen's foreheads before practically running from the room. While she knew OA would love all their children equally, Yazi had her dad wrapped around her little finger.

The first person who noticed OA enter the waiting room was his daughter. There was a shrill cry of "Daddy!" that gave him a second to brace for the impact of an energetic child. He scooped her up in his arms, "Is someone excited to be a big sister?"

"They here? I see them? And Mommy?"

"Yes, you have a little sister and a little brother. We can see them and Mommy shortly. For now, I know she wanted me to give you a big hug and a kiss from her." He dramatically gave both to the laughing bundle in his arms.

"Were you good for your grandparents?" OA asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, Eleanor and I played and then I napped. And then I was here and Grammie was here with Auntie Amira, Auntie Kristen, Uncie Stewart, and Uncie Ian!" Yazi rambled.

"She was perfect as always," Dana added, smiling, "and congratulations! Everyone is truly doing well?"

"Thank you and yes. Mom and babies are all healthy."

"Names?" Kristen asked practically squealing.

"The older one is Mary-Ellen and the younger one is Yosef." OA replied seeing both his mom and Dana tear up at the names. "I'll go introduce Yazi to her new siblings and then you guys can take turns."

"You sure Maggie is up for it?" Jubal asked.

"You kidding? Maggie is going to want to show them off before she takes a well deserved rest." OA laughed. He caught sight of Jubal's face and gestured for the other man to follow him. "Why don't you come with us to get the room number?"

The trio made their way out of the waiting room and to the private rooms of the maternity ward. After a minute or so, Jubal spoke, "Matt will be able to Skype tomorrow. But, uh, well-" Jubal made a noncommittal noise. OA sighed in understanding. Maggie's adoptive father was not making an appearance for these grandchildren either. He had never met either OA or Yazi forcing Matthew to walk his sister down the aisle. OA had hoped that the man would show an interest in his three grandchildren, but was disappointed; his father-in-law was too stuck in denial about his wife's Alzheimer's diagnosis despite her being in the home Maggie and Matthew had found for her years ago. He shook off the negative thoughts. "Thanks for trying, Jubal. As far as I'm concerned, these three have the best grandpa they could ask for right here."

"Grandpa is the best!" Yazi chimed in, reaching over to give Jubal a kiss. "But Mommy is the best bestest!"

Both men laughed in agreement. "Alright, this is our stop." OA placed Yazi on the floor. "Now kiddo, you have to be quiet and very gentle with Mommy and the babies, okay?"

Yazi gave a very serious nod. "You guys go ahead, I'll head back to the waiting room." Jubal said as OA opened the door.

Maggie was sitting on the bed a twin in each arm smiling. Her smile grew when she saw her first born, her mini-me as OA often teased. "Hey big sister!"

"Hi, mommy!" Yazi whispered. "I quiet."

Maggie laughed, "Yes, you're doing a great job of it. Come here so you can see your siblings." OA helped Yazi up onto the bed and perched there himself so that he could hold his whole family in his arms. His family. When he met Maggie all those years ago he never imagined that he would have all this. He had always wanted a family, but he never imagined that it would be this wonderful.

"What their names?"

"This is Mary-Ellen and this is Yosef." Maggie replied.

"They so small." Yazi looked down at her baby sister and brother with awe.

"You were that small too," OA laughed.

"No, I big!" Yazi pouted defiantly. Maggie laughed, but OA felt himself get choked up again. His baby girl was getting big.

"Don't say that. Daddy will never let you date," Maggie teased, a tender smile on her lips. OA leaned over and kissed her, their children tucked safely between them.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"What for, Omar?"

"Everything."


End file.
